Google Analytics: Understanding your Bounce Rate

In terms of the statistics available in Google Analytics, Bounce Rate is a key stat to understand because it gives information about how engaged your web visitors are with your website.

Bounce Rate is the percentage of people who leave your website without clicking on anything

For Bounce Rate, the lower the better

For example if your Bounce Rate is 15%, only 15 out of 100 people leave without clicking on anything, the other 85 click something and therefore visit more than one page of your site. However if your Bounce Rate is 85%, then 85 people out of 100 leave without clicking on anything and you have an opportunity to make changes with the aim of lowering the Bounce Rate.

Get to know your website’s Bounce Rate

Your website’s Bounce Rate can be seen on the Audience Overview Report in Google Analytics, at the bottom of the second column of stats.

I regularly get asked what is good, or bad, in terms of Bounce Rate.

The answer is that it varies for each and every website.

Some of the things that impact your website’s Bounce Rate are:

How well targeted your marketing is; if it’s not well targeted, your Bounce Rate will be higher.

How well written your web copy is; does it draw your readers in and encourage them to get engaged with your website?

How clear, prominent and compelling your Call to Actions are; do they make your readers want to “click” to respond?

How well designed and easy to navigate your website it.

Compare your website’s Bounce Rate from month to month. Make changes with the aim of improving it and then look in your Google Analytics account to see what impact they have.

Bounce Rate is often higher for blogs

If you have a blog on your website, it’s likely that your Bounce Rate is higher than for example, a purely ecommerce site. That’s because a lot of your regular readers will visit your site, read your new article and then leave. For this reason it’s good to review your Bounce Rate in conjunction with Average Visit Duration. If your Bounce Rate is high, but your Average Visit Duration is OK, then you know that people are sticking around to read your content.

Got a question about Bounce Rate?

About MelindaMelinda aka Mel is a Premier Google Partner, AdWords & Analytics Consultant, Speaker and Trainer and co-owner of Click-Winning Content.
Mel provides results-driven services to Australian businesses and is committed to never using an acronym without explaining it first. She also likes grand slam tennis, cracked pepper and Melbourne sunsets.
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